On-line Retailers

[swarttra]

Have any of you guys ordered plants online? If so, did they do well and do you have any favorite retailers?

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

I do it all the time and have gotten most from ebay. I'm not saying Ebay is the most realiable source to get plants but as far as online goes nothing is really reliable. You get what you get = / So far with ebay I've only had one purchase that wasn't good quality, but the seller is still going to replace the plant for me.

Other places I have gone are Logees which is where I purchased my jade vine. The plant came in good health and I am now seeing new growth. The shipping took a long time though it seems like I waited forever lol. I've done alot of online plant purchases and so far all is going well with it. I've noticed that as long as the company or person you are purchasing has good communication with you its likely you will get a healthy plant but remember that there are always things that can go wrong in shipping. For example: Someone online sent me hoya cuttings recently and the box stated not to leave in heat. The mail man was to lazy to come to the door (or read the box for that matter) and stuck the cuttings in my mailbox in direct sun on a triple digit day! oy the ignorance of some people lol! Anyway just be careful that you know who you are purchasing from and the exact thing that you are purchasing and all should be well

Oh and another thing you can do before ordering is to check reviews for the place. You'd be amazed at how helpful reviews can be. Then make your decision based on that If others are happy with the place then you will likely end up being happy with them too

[booger]

I recently ordered from Gurney's. I ordered 5 items got 2 of them within 2 weeks, 1 was just cancelled with a refund issued (which was the main item I wanted), 1 more item at 3 weeks and one yet to be received. I wouldn't order from them again, I know they have shipping dates but waiting a month is too long for me. Other online reviews for them are pretty bad. They do have a great looking site though...

I actually just went to a local greenhouse that is huge they had an awesome sale (40% off on an apple tree and grape vine) so I bought a bunch of stuff there. If you can just go local, you know what you are getting that way also.

[rainbowgardener]

I buy a lot of plants on line. I like Wayside Gardens, Elk Mountain nursery, Jung Seed and Plants.

I order from some of the cheap places too and usually have been fine. Worst experience I ever had was trying to go high end, ordering a Japanese Maple from a speciality nursery, that only sold JM's, for $40. When it arrived, it was tiny with a "trunk" about the thickness of a thread, and arrived dead. I don't mean dormant, I mean leafed out and dead. They would not give me a refund. So look for places that give guarantees.

[bullthistle]

Rainbow:

This is one place that I ordered online where the plants did not die after a few weeks but maybe because I live in NC. The Japanese Maples are doing real well after 4 years. He's got a lot of nice varieties, one gallon.

[bullthistle]

Duh, forgot the link

https://japanesemaple.net/

[rainbowgardener]

After the above debacle, I bought a beautiful little red-leafed Japanese Maple (var. unknown) from the local grocery store chain for $10. That was 5 yrs ago and it has thrived!

[roseprose]

I've bought many plants on line and by mail over many years. There are some scams out there, but Garden Watchdog will warn you off them. Good sources of perennials for me have been: Garden Crossings, White Flower Farm, Arrowhead Alpines, Burpees, Avant Gardens, and Mulberry Creek Herb Farm. For roses, I use : Roses Unlimited, Antique Rose Emporium, Hgih Country Roses, and Northland Rosarium, all reputable. Go for it!

[LenG]

>Go for it!<

I agree--no trouble from Bluestone perrenials, Forest Farm, Greer, Brent and Becky, many others. Of course I prefer to buy from a nursery but many don't have exactly what we want. Fortunately we have a great nursery an hour and a half from us--Rarefind Nursery--they have a website. White Flower is very big but when ever we've visited it the prices are too high for us. Regards, Len

[roseprose]

LenG: Good call on Bluestone. They have very affordable, healthy young plants. I agree that Whiteflower Farm is pricey; so is Garden Crossings. Both do send larger healthy plants, in my experience, and sometimes I decide to splurge. Some other good vendors I forgot to list: Digging Dog Nursery (I don't think they've raised their prices in years); Joy Creek; and Logee's Greenhouse. For roses: Chamblee's, Countryside, Vintage Gardens, and two excellent Canadian vendors: Palatine Roses and Pickering Nurseries.

[LenG]

>Logee's Greenhouse<

Many years ago we visited there--gotta get back sometime--a lot of the places you mentioned are new to me--thanks, gotta tell my wife--she's the big catalog person and with this terrible winter we're having here in Warren County NJ she really needs them! Regards, Len